Anna Kaineder, founder of the Coonamble Ceramics Collective, is continuing to kick some serious goals. And we couldn’t be prouder! She is about to open her exhibition Contribution at the Western Plains Cultural Centre in Dubbo. The exhibition is part of the HomeGround program which offers emerging artists an opportunity to exhibit in a high profile space, have access to mentoring sessions and a professional curator. Artists from all over regional NSW were invited to submit a proposal including ideas, body of work and examples of images.

“Contribution is the artist’s response and celebration of the powerful impact of the region and it’s rituals: asking if this impact could be universal. Kaineder uses ceramics to explore the concept of ‘the ordinary’, and the uncelebrated people and places that make rural life inexplicably powerful.”

Exhibition showing: 22 April – 18 June, with an official opening and artist talk at 2pm, Saturday 22nd April.

Some background on Anna:

Why ceramics?

I think because the opportunity to make functional things appealed to me and it didn’t feel particularly wasteful and also the nature of clay being giving. You can start again if you make a mistake. I also like the 3D option of things, being able to mould and shape and create from there. I also like the incredible diversity of clay. All the clays, all the glazes, all the different ways of treating it. The potential is endless which I’ve always been attracted to.

Setting up the Coonamble Ceramics Collective:

When I came to Coonamble I had just finished my TAFE course and I was really reluctant to give up the practice as I was just getting good at it. I approached the then Coonamble High School art teacher Catherine to ask if we could start something. And it gathered momentum from there. I think it gathered such momentum because everybody was so excited and keen to make it happen, and we didn’t have any negative responses from the community. We started with a little group at the school through the generosity of the school and Catherine who shared her class room. Then amazingly one of the group members went off and bought the contents of a studio! And all of a sudden we needed a place to hold it. It was a bit of a collective idea at the end of the day. Mainly because in a community like this, some things can block progress but because of that constant support it made it possible.

It came out of self interest really. Not wanting to give up the practice of ceramics but now because its gathered so much momentum and it’s so popular and a well used resource in our community that it’s got a bit of a life of its own and it’s not just about my own practice. It’s about a community resource for Coonamble.

Art or functional?

I see it as a creative pursuit with functional items. I hope that the pieces I make are beautiful and they have a handmade and artistic quality to them. I don’t see them as fine art and I don’t think that’s where I’m at. I like that everyday objects can be really beautiful and gorgeous, there is real beauty in functional ware.

On living and working regionally as an artist:

Personally, no. The joys of living in the country don’t make it hard for me. I love being out here. I love the peace and the simplicity of life. I’ve loved the community support for me personally and more so for the studio. I couldn’t find that anywhere else. If we wanted to have an exhibition here we could do that, there’s no hindrance, so in terms of that. But in terms of my practice beyond Coonamble and reaching into other audiences yes distance is difficult. It is hard to reach out but that is a little bit alleviated by media and social media.